Practice questions
Q1Which pair is correctly matched in Plato's account of the cardinal virtues in Book IV of the Republic?
A Justice: each part of the city and soul performing its own proper function without meddling in the work of others
B Wisdom: preservation by the auxiliary class of correct beliefs about what is to be feared
C Courage: rational knowledge possessed by the ruling guardians about the good of the whole city
D Moderation: the exclusive virtue of producers because only appetitive desires require restraint
Explanation In Republic IV, Plato maps the virtues onto an ordered city and then onto the soul. Wisdom belongs to the ruling element, courage to the spirited auxiliaries, moderation is a broad agreement about rule, and justice is the condition in which each class or psychic part does its own work without interference.
Q2Gandhi's idea of trusteeship mainly implies that
A labour and village life have no place in Gandhian economics
B wealth must be used only for unlimited private luxury
C economic equality can be reached only through hatred of the rich
D the wealthy should hold surplus wealth as trustees for the welfare of society
Explanation Trusteeship in Gandhi's ethical-economic thought asks those with wealth to regard themselves as trustees rather than absolute owners. It seeks social welfare and reduced inequality through non-violent moral responsibility instead of selfish accumulation.
Q3Which statement best explains why Plato's theory of cardinal virtues is linked to his tripartite psychology?
A The theory denies any relation between individual character and the structure of the ideal city.
B The three parts of the soul make justice unnecessary once wisdom and courage are present.
C Each virtue corresponds to the proper condition of a psychic or civic order: reason rules, spirit supports, appetite is moderated, and justice coordinates all parts.
D The appetitive part alone possesses all four virtues when it is trained by music and gymnastics.
Explanation Plato's virtue theory is structural. The rational part is fit to rule with wisdom, the spirited part supports what reason judges through courage, appetite must be brought into moderated agreement, and justice names the right ordering of all parts. The same pattern is projected in the ideal city.
Q4In the Bhagavad Gita, the ethical idea of Nishkam Karma mainly asks a person to:
A act only when a personal benefit is certain
B treat ritual action as superior to moral duty
C avoid all action so that no karma is produced
D perform one's duty without attachment to the fruits of action
Explanation Nishkam Karma is the doctrine of desireless or detached action. In the Gita's karma-yoga teaching, a person should do the required duty while not making the fruit of action the motive. It is therefore different from both selfish action and complete inaction.
Q5Which interpretation of Moksha within the Purushartha framework is most accurate?
A It is liberation from bondage, commonly treated as the highest spiritual aim
B It is identical with artha because both mean acquisition of wealth and power
C It is the pursuit of sensory pleasure as an independent final end
D It is a compulsory social duty limited to the householder stage only
Explanation Within Purushartha theory, dharma regulates life, artha provides material means, kama covers legitimate desire, and moksha points to release from bondage. Exam questions often test the distinction between the first three worldly aims and moksha as the liberating aim.
More questions
6In Jain philosophy, Anekantavada primarily teaches that
Aknowledge is impossible under every condition
Breality is many-sided and no single absolute statement exhausts it
Conly material objects exist and souls are unreal
Dall moral vows are unnecessary for liberation
7Which set correctly represents the three gems, or triratna, in Jainism?
Asacrifice, ritual and charity
Bright livelihood, right effort and right mindfulness
Cright faith, right knowledge and right conduct
Dtruth, non-violence and satyagraha
8In the ethics of the Bhagavad Geeta, which statement best expresses Nishkam Karma?
APerforming one's duty without selfish desire or attachment to the result
BRejecting social duty in favour of private meditation alone
CActing only when personal reward is certain
DGiving up all action because every action creates bondage
9Which pair correctly states two central formulations of Kant's categorical imperative?
AAct only on a universalizable maxim; treat humanity always as an end and never merely as a means.
BMaximize net pleasure; avoid all pain as a final end.
CChoose what benefits oneself; reject duties that reduce personal happiness.
DPunish only for deterrence; reform every offender through treatment.
10Which sequence correctly states the basic pattern of the Four Noble Truths in Buddhism?
ASoul, God, ritual and heaven
BAction, fruit, renunciation and devotion
CFaith, knowledge, conduct and liberation
DDukkha, its cause in craving, its cessation, and the path leading to cessation
11Which criticism is commonly directed against act utilitarianism?
AIt gives no role at all to consequences.
BIt denies that happiness has any moral importance.
CIt may permit actions that violate ordinary justice if those actions maximise total utility.
DIt treats every moral rule as absolutely binding regardless of outcome.
12In ethical hedonism, which statement best captures the central claim about intrinsic value?
AOnly acts done from duty have intrinsic moral worth.
BPunishment is justified because the offender deserves suffering proportional to guilt.
CThe moral law is known by testing whether a maxim can be universalized.
DPleasure alone is intrinsically good, and pain alone is intrinsically bad.
13In the debate on freedom of will, which view holds that a person's action can be free even if it is causally determined, provided the action flows from the person's own reasons, desires or character rather than external compulsion?
AHard determinism
BFatalism
CCompatibilism
DLibertarianism about free will
14Which statement best differentiates Rit and Karma in basic Indian philosophy?
ARit and Karma are exact synonyms for ritual fire offerings
BRit refers to cosmic and moral order, while Karma refers to action and its moral consequences
CRit is a theory of rebirth, while Karma is the list of four aims of human life
DRit means liberation, while Karma means only economic prosperity
15Which statement best explains the Vedic concept of Rit in an exam-relevant philosophical sense?
AIt denotes the cosmic, sacrificial and moral order that sustains regularity in the world
BIt refers to the four human aims of dharma, artha, kama and moksha
CIt means only the personal merit gained by donating wealth after a sacrifice
DIt is the Upanishadic name for a school that denies causality and moral responsibility
